Why do sound waves move faster through the ground than through the air?
1 answer
Sound waves travel faster through solid materials, such as the ground, compared to through air because the particles in solids are closely packed together, allowing for faster transmission of the wave energy. In contrast, the particles in air are farther apart, which results in slower transmission of sound waves as they have to travel through a medium with lower particle density. Additionally, solids generally have higher elasticity and stiffness compared to air, which also contributes to the faster speed of sound waves through the ground.